Top 30 Delicious And Healthy Food Recipes You Should Try

Top 30 Delicious And Healthy Food Recipes You Should TryJayshree BhagatNovember 3, 2016

“Every time you use the word ‘healthy,’ you lose. The key is to make yummy, delicious food that happens to be healthy.” – Marcus Samuelsson

The highly celebrated, world-class chef got it right. Today food has become the expression of life. We have tasting menus and molecular food presentations. We also indulge in junk food due to stressful conditions of life and paucity of time. These days the emphasis is given to the taste at the expense of wholesome ingredients. Oil, cream and butter make the food more palatable and delicious.

1. Sarson Ka Saag

Mustard greens help flush out the toxins from the body as they contain vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. These control the cholesterol level and promote heart health. Greens are good for your eyes as they are a rich source of iron.

Method

Heat some oil in a pan.

Add ginger, garlic, and onion.

Saute for 3-4 minutes.

Add the boiled and coarsely pureed mustard leaves.

Add to the pan and stir well.

Now, chop the spinach and bathua roughly.

Add this to the pan and stir well.

Mix in some slitted green chillies and salt.

Cook well till it’s soft and you are ready with the Saag.

For the Roti, make dough with cornmeal and water. Make it into a stiff dough.

You can also add some grated radish to the dough for extra taste and nutrition.

Make a roti by patting the dough with your hands.

Cook on both the sides till brown spots appear.

Sarson ka saag is ready. Serve this hot with makki ki roti. This is one of the most loved dishes among the healthy Indian food recipes!

2. Sambar Dal

Sambar dal is a traditional South Indian dish that has aromatic flavors. This contains very little oil and many nutritive vegetables. This is served hot with idlis or steamed rice.

Method

Temper the dal with oil with mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing, and asafoetida.

Add this to the sambhar and simmer for 15 minutes.

Sizzling sambar is ready to serve.

3. Idli

This is the healthiest food item from South India. This is prepared from fermented rice and black gram (urad dal). It is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, and amino acids and is easily digestible.

Method

Wash the rice and urad dal and soak overnight separately. Soak in a 1 dal to 4 rice ratio.

Grind them into a smooth paste in the morning.

Cover and keep this aside for overnight.

Add some salt.

Grease idli molds and add spoonfuls of the batter to steam for 12 minutes.

Yummy, hot idlis are ready.

4. Poha

This is a traditional Indian breakfast that is prepared in a short span of time. It is commonly prepared in states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

5. Sukto

This is Bengali vegetarian dish that is served with the main meal. This contains loads of vegetables and has a bitter taste. This is a rich source of vitamins and minerals that can also treat diabetes.

7. Chicken Biryani

This is a rice dish with chicken. It is flavored with saffron and turmeric that contain calories, fat, and carbohydrates. This is delicious in moderation so keep in mind the portions. Not an everyday dish but can be indulged in sometimes

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and cook till they become brown and caramelised. Alternatively, roast thinly sliced onions in an OTG till they become caramelized.

Cover and cook this for 30 minutes. Opt for 10 minutes on high, 10 minutes on medium flame and 10 minutes on slow flame.

Your lip-smacking chicken biryani is ready. Serve it hot with raita. This pakki biryani is better as all the starch is drained out of the rice. Opt for low-glycemic rice like Saffola and Revital as they are lower in carbs.

8. Malpua

This is a pancake that is very rich and soft. This is a recipe of Udaipur and Pushkar that is made from wheat flour during festivals.

Method:

Mix wheat flour and sugar proportionately in a large bowl.

Add some warm water and make a batter.

Keep it aside for 40 minutes.

Heat ghee in a pan.

Pour a spoon of batter in the hot ghee.

Deep fry this on medium flame.

Cook well till golden brown.

You can opt to cook this in a nonstick pan to reduce the consumption of ghee. Make a low cal instant rabri with low cal milk and corn flour to top this malpua. Alternatively, make a malpua with cream of wheat (sooji), water and fennel seeds. It is lighter. Mouth watering malpuas are ready. Serve hot.

9. Chole

Chole is a Punjabi dish that is lower in calories and tastes delicious. This dish is rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin C.

Prepare a mixture by combining coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, white/rice wine, vinegar, and granulated sugar with the chicken stock and add it to the cooked chicken.

Pour the entire thing into a glassy clay pot and bake in a preheated oven.

Once the chicken gets tender, you can add brown coconut and chopped tomatoes to it.

Sprinkle with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Nutrition Profile

Calorie 653.5

Carbohydrate 14.9 grams

Protein 56 grams

Fat 27.5 grams

Cholesterol 153.3 milligrams

Fiber 3.2 gram

Sodium 405.7 milligrams

Added sugar 5.9 grams

21. Healthy Egg and Chips

One delicious way to cook eggs, potatoes, shallots, mushrooms and other vegetables of your choice is in the oven and team it with baked beans or toasted brown bread. Since the cooking is done by the baking process, it involves very less oil. Herbs like oregano and fresh leaves and all the roasted veggies add to the nutrition value.

22. Spicy Root and Lentil Casserole

This is an interesting way to cook thick lentil gravy and serve it with a bread of your choice. This dish uses very less oil and spices but, contains lentils and fresh seasonal vegetables. The very surprising element here is that you can use a mix of lentils of your choice to enhance the flavor of the dish.

23. Spicy Stewed Potatoes with Spinach

For those who are potato lovers but refrain from eating them given to the high carbohydrate content, cook it with spinach, buttermilk and whipped cream to make a healthy, creamy yet low-calorie serving dish. The spices used give the dish a very Thai essence and interesting flavors.

24. Bean Sprouts and Vegetable Salad

Use broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, onions, red and green capsicum and celery mixed with bean sprout. Add flavors using olive oil, garlic, green chilies, lemon and red chili flakes and toss up a healthy salad for meals or as a side dish. This interesting combination is healthy, tasty and full of goodness.

25. Kidney Beans and Sweet Corn Bake

Mash boiled kidney beans and white chickpeas. To this, add cucumber, lettuce, sweet corn and herbs like celery mint and coriander leaves and spices for taste. Mix well and make small, round balls. Bake them, or alternately, layer them in a baking dish and add some Parmesan cheese on the top and bake. You can savor it just like that or with rice to make it more filling.

26. Burritos

Mexican dish without cheese sounds boring even to eat. So an alternate way is to use egg whites in place of normal egg and make the salsa stuffing. You can also add an Indian touch by using sprouted salad as stuffing and serving with salsa. A better idea is to cook in microwave or oven to reduce the oil usage. For flavor, use low-calorie Parmesan cheese.

27. Chicken Mulligatawny

Mulligatawny itself means pepper water. Cooked with rice, chicken breast, freshly ground pepper powder and strong flavors of ginger, garlic, and herbs; you really do not miss the spices associated with chicken much. The use of curry powder and coconut milk add a touch of sweetness without adding calories to the dish.

28. Healthy Sandwich

You can layer all the veggies on a slice of brown bread or any low-fat bread of your choice. Use a dressing made of olive oil, spices and herbs of your choice to substitute a typical meal to a healthy one. Bake it or eat it raw, it surely will taste delicious and can be eaten at any time of the day. But make sure you add flavors and not calories to the sandwich.

29. Fruity Muffin

Bake muffins using blueberries, raisins, apricots, and cranberries. These too fall in healthy and nutritious meals category. When there is no time for a ‘real’ meal, eat these for healthy and wholesome fill. The best part of this healthy dish is that you can bake it and store it for up to 2 weeks or deep freeze for about a month. Just ensure that you warm them before eating.

30. Oatmeal Pancakes

Use oatmeal, blueberry and buttermilk to make healthy and nutritious pancakes. This is quick, easily digestible and full of nutrition and flavor. These pancakes are super filling and with a little honey added, are tempting and tastes amazing.

Beware, as you might over eat these mouth watering pancakes! You can also add healthy nuts to add to the flavor and texture.

Try these delectable recipes at home and savor the desi flavors from different states of India. Do leave us your valuable comments below and let us know your recipes of healthy food!

Always remember that moderation and portion are the keys to good health. To cut down on sweets, you can opt for lesser sugar dessert recipes or even try some safe sugar alternatives. Enjoy your meals and good health with these simple and amazing recipes.